Impact of Social Class on Academic Performance

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:Sociology

Document 1

Social stratification is the grouping of people according to their income levels, occupations, and power in society, wealth, and educational level. In contemporary Western society, social stratification is defined in three categories: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. The classification of people by social strata is prevalent in all societies from complex to tribal communities. Social stratification originates from social inequalities. More social stratification is observed in a society where there is a higher degree of social inequality. The private tuition gives the individual from a well-off family an upper hand in successfully completing high school education and consequently enrolling in college. A rich family can afford a home library where the child can learn basic lessons before joining a school.

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He can learn basic arithmetic or vowel recitation which gives him a head start over children from poor homes. Rich families can also afford daycare services for their young children. Children from wealthy and poor households are exposed to different ways of learning before the start of their formal education. Poverty can also strain relationships between social interaction between parents and their children (Banks, 2004). The gap created between a parent and a child could result in poor academic performance. Upper and middle social class families are able to send their children to expensive and high performing schools. The rich can afford to pay high school fees for their children to enroll in high performing and prestigious institutions. Such institutions have educational and other facilities that increase academic performance of students.

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